


Promise

by MagnificentBeth



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Angst and Feels, Father-Son Relationship, Future Character Death, Gen, Worried Alec Lightwood, i dont know how to tag yet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-27
Updated: 2017-10-27
Packaged: 2019-01-25 00:56:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12519276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MagnificentBeth/pseuds/MagnificentBeth
Summary: Alec Lightwood has a mature chat with his warlock son(This is a stupid summary but it's a story about Alec and his fear of having to abandon his family one day)





	Promise

Max Lightwood-Bane put his glamour up before exiting taki’s. Alec still hadn’t gotten used to Max’s glamoured self. He was now 17 years old, and he had been taught to put on a glamour by his Papa at an early age but Alec had always preferred his natural look. His blue skin. His horns, that seemed to have gotten bigger and pointier with age. But ofcourse Alec and Magnus loved their blueberry just the way he was. They hadn’t walked very far when Max reached out and grabbed Alec’s hand and directed them towards are bench nearby. They sat in silence for a while before Alec spoke up. “Is something bothering you Max?”. Max took a deep breath .”Dad don’t take this the wrong way but why did you take me out to lunch today.. I mean why just me..You left Rafe to train with Uncle Jace. You never miss Rafe’s training sessions and when Rafe asked if he could come with us you said no…It’s just not like you dad. And then at lunch you were quiet..too quiet..maybe even a little angry? Dad..Am I in trouble? Have I done something wrong?” Alec shook his head and rested a hand on Max’s shoulder. “Ofcourse not Max, You haven’t done anything wrong and I’m sorry I’ve been acting strange. I’m just nervous” ..Max looked confused..” Why would you be nervous dad?”

This time it was Alec who took a deep breath.. “ Max do you remember a few nights ago, when I went patrolling with Jace and Izzy, we took Rafe along and he came home and told you and Papa that I almost died…” Max remembered very clearly..Papa was patting dad down, checking for injuries and calling him out for being careless…And Rafe, he was a mess. His big brother had always struggled with abandonment issues but over the years Rafe had warmed up to everyone and had seemingly been convinced that none of them would ever leave his side.. But that night was different. That night Rafe saw their dad nearly die and it shook him..He didn’t have his dinner, didn’t say a word to max before going to bed. He simply gave Alec a long hug and with tears in his eyes and a lump in his throat he told Alec to never do that again and ran into his room and slammed the door shut..Alec had tried to go after him but was told by Magnus to leave him alone..Max himself had been pretty worried. Although his coping method had been entirely different, He chose to pretend like it never happened and push away any thoughts he had.Granted he had grown closer to his Papa over the years but he hadn’t forgotten that his Dad was the first person he ever bonded with. Max loved both his parents equally. And he would have been devastated if his dad had died that night. He was brought back from his chain of thoughts when Alec patted him on the shoulder.” Max are you listening to me?”Max nodded. “Ofcourse I remember that night dad, We don’t need to relive it”.

Max was visibly uncomfortable and avoiding eye contact with Alec..”Son look at me..We do need to relive it.. That night..it made me realize that. In a couple of years I won’t be here..I..I’m getting old and ..” Alec stopped speaking when max held his hand and squeezed it tight. “You’re not old dad..You’re not even forty yet..And besides you were the one who told us that most shadowhunters are still healthy and fighting even in their sixty’s..So why are we having this conversation..” Alec rested his other hand on top of Max’s…”Because, this is important Max..Its true I might still be fighting beside your aunt and uncle for years to come..But its also true that the other night was just another one of the many close calls I’ve had recently….I’m not the soldier I used to be Max, I’m not as alert..my reflexes are slower…these are all things the demons we hunt can take advantage of..And it might not be me who goes first..but sooner or later I will be gone..” Max was now tearing up as he took his hand out from Alec’s grip and turned his face..”Dad please stop!” .

Alec got up from the bench and knelt down in front of his son..”Max I’m sorry. I know this is hard to hear and I know that this isn’t something a father should have to ask from his teenage son, But I need you to promise me something..” Max looked up and met his dad’s gaze a single tear had escaped from his eye and his dad wiped it away before continuing to speak. “Max I need you to promise me that you’ll take care of your brother and your Papa when I’m gone..You’re immortal. You will always be a constant in their lives..Make sure they don’t break when I’m gone..Keep an eye on your brother..till the end…until you lose him too…And help Papa get through it….” Alec swallowed the lump in his throat and took his sons hands once again..”Your Papa once told me that before I came along he thought he was starting to calcify..That he had stopped feeling excited or surprised…And he told me that he would never feel as strongly about anyone,the way he feels about me..I’m not worried about dying Max. I’m a shadowhunter we’ve learned to deal with death and loss from a young age...Its leaving you all behind that worries me .Especially your Papa. He has a hard time accepting that he’s loved and cared for..I worry that when I’m gone he’s going to close himself off again..Promise me that you will always be there to remind him that he’s loved..That he wont ever be alone..Promise me that you will always be there for him Max..As his family…”

Max wiped the tears that were dripping from his chin. He held Alec’s hand and looked him straight in the eye. “I promise Dad..I will always be there for them..Always..But you have to promise to stick around as long as you can” Alec pulled Max into a hug and they stayed that way for quite some time before Alec whispered “I promise…Thank you Max..Thank you” and wiped a tear rolling down his face.

They broke apart gave each other a smile and continued walking . Alec ruffled Max’s hair lovingly. “ I’m really glad we had this talk son. Now let’s go see if Papa’s torturing your uncle Jace with ducks for giving your brother too many bruises..” Max let out a chuckle as they continued to walk home. And Alec was feeling more relieved than he had for the past couple of days.. as though a weight has been lifted off his shoulder..

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first fic I'm sharing on this site, so please leave me a comment or just send me your thoughts on it. I am a sucker for any kind of reviews really. Thank you so much for reading


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